New Zealand Dominion Museum building

The New Zealand Dominion Museum building was completed in 1936, and is located on Buckle Street in Wellington next to the National War Memorial. The building originally housed the National Museum, the National Art Gallery of New Zealand and the New Zealand Academy of Fine Arts.[1] It currently houses part of the Massey University Wellington Campus.[2]

New Zealand Dominion Museum
The former Dominion Museum
Former names	National Museum
General information
Location	Buckle street, Wellington, New Zealand
Coordinates	41.299538°S 174.776843°E / -41.299538; 174.776843
Current tenants	Massey University
Completed	1936
Design and construction
Architect	Gummer and Ford

Prior to 1907, the Dominion Museum was known as the Colonial Museum. The Colonial Museum was originally housed in a small wooden building behind what is now the New Zealand Parliament Buildings. In 1930, the National Art Gallery and Dominion Museum Act 1930[3] established a board of trustees, leading to the building on Buckle street. The building housed the Dominion Museum, the National Art Gallery of New Zealand and the New Zealand Academy of Fine Arts (who had sold their land and donated the proceeds to the new organisation on the provision that they would be accommodated).[4]

In 1972, an act of Parliament updated the Dominion Museum's name to the National Museum.

In 1992 Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa Act 1992[5] combined the National Museum and the National Art Gallery to form the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa.

A view of the Dominion Museum building from the Carillon

The Dominion Museum building was featured in Peter Jackson's 1996 film The Frighteners, and in Peter Webber's 2012 film Emperor.